In video, lawmaker from Imran Khan’s party warns of 'suicide attack' on country's rulers if...
- A journalist – who shared the video – reminded the authorities to take action against Attaullah for terrorism.
A lawmaker from Iman Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has threatened a suicide attack on the country’s rulers if any harm is caused to the former prime minister. The threat was conveyed by Attaullah, a lawmaker elected from Karachi in 2018 on the symbol of PTI. He has spoken about his intentions of attacking in a video message, which he has reportedly shared on Twitter. The clip was also shared by a few Pakistan journalists on their Twitter handle.
In the video circulating on social media, the PTI lawmaker says, “If a single hair on Imran Khan's head is harmed, then those running the country be warned. Neither you nor your children will remain. I will be the first one to carry out a suicide attack on you, I will not let you go. In the same way, thousands of workers are ready.” A lawyer by profession, Attaullah is said to be an ardent supporter of Khan.
A journalist – who shared the video – reminded the authorities to take action against Attaullah for terrorism.
"What was the law called under which such threats were taken into account? Oh yes, the Anti-Terrorism Act!" tweeted Syed Talat Hussain, a noted television host and journalist.
Khan fell out of power in April after his government lost the trust vote. He has since been claiming that the no-trust motion against him was the result of a “foreign conspiracy” because his independent foreign policy and funds were being channelled from abroad to oust him from power. He has named the US as the country behind the conspiracy, a charge denied by Washington.
His supporters have warned of the threat to his life and the then information minister Fawad Chaudhry at the beginning of April had said that a plot to assassinate Khan had been reported by security agencies.
On May 14, Khan reiterated that there was a threat to his life and told his supporters at a rally that he had recorded a video in which he had taken the names of all those who "conspired against me".
The government has enhanced his personal security as well as augmented the security cordon around his palatial residence in the Banigala suburbs of Islamabad.
(With PTI inputs)
Less time to read?
Try Quickreads
-
Salman Rushdie's attacker Hadi Matar charged with attempted murder, assault
Hadi Matar, a 24-year-old New Jersey man who stabbed Mumbai-born author Salman Rushdie in New York on Friday, has been charged with 'attempted murder and assault in the second degree', the Chautauqua Country district attorney's office said on Saturday. Matar was born and raised in the US, the head of the local municipality, Ali Qassem Tahfa, told news agency AFP. Rushdie remained hospitalised in serious condition.
-
Monkeypox: WHO creates forum, asks public to propose new name for virus
The WHO has been in the process of renaming monkeypox since June alongside other efforts to urge the global community not to have any stereotypes around it. The zoonotic disease is disproportionately affecting men in sexual relationships with men and spreads via close contact.
-
Salman Rushdie: The free speech champion whose 'verses' put his life at risk
A Booker Prize that catapulted him to the pantheon of global literary stalwarts to a fatwa by Iran's Supreme Leader that forced him into hiding and years of death threats, Mumbai-born author Salman Rushdie was both idolised and demonised for a singular trait that defined his life and works -- championing free speech. His memoir is Joseph Anton, named for the pseudonym he used while in hiding.
-
Iran's hardline newspapers praise Salman Rushdie's attacker Hadi Matar
While Iran is yet to make an official statement on the attack on 'The Satanic Verses' author Salman Rushdie, several hardline newspapers in the country on Saturday openly praiseRushdie'ser. Rushdie was stabbed in the neck and torso on Friday while onstage at a lecture in New York state by Hadi Matar, a man from Fairview, New Jersey, who had bought a pass to the event at the Chautauqua Institution.
-
Salman Rushdie had once complained about ‘too much security’: Report
Read French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo slams Salman Rushdie, who was attacked and stabbed on stage at a literary event here stabbing A bloodied Rushdie was airlifted from a field adjacent to the venue to a hospital in northwestern Pennsylvania where the 75-year-old writer underwent surgery. In 2001, Rushdie publicly complained about having too much security around him, The New York Post reported.
